Gang plow



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J. B. BARTHOLOMEWv GANG PLOW Original Filed'Jan. 23, 1911 June 17, 1924.

J. B. BARTHOLCJMEWl June 1,7 1924.

GANG PLOW 2 SI'aeets-Sheet. 2

Original Filed Jan. 23 1911 Patented June 17, 1924.

UNITED STAQTES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. BAR'IHO'LOMEW, OF IPEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AVERY COMPANY, OF l PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GANG PLOW.

Original application filed January 23, 1911, Serial No. 694,229. Divided and this application filed May 1o, 1919. serial No. 296,240.

T0 all 'whom t may concern:

Be it knownfthat I, JOHN B. BARTHOLO- MEW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of y,Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new i plication being a division of my earlier application, Serial No.`604,229, filed January 23, 1911.

The objects of the invention comprise the provision of improved devices for coupling the main plow frameto the tractor, said devices being designed/to permit the adjustment of the line of draftlaterally relatively to the tractor, and to permitthe plow to be backed when desired.

A further object is the provision, in coinbination with such coupling devices, of means for steering the plow when it is being backed. y

A further object is the provision of wheels or other means adapted on the one hand to support the main plow frame from the ground in such manner as to mamtain the beam to which the individual plows are attached at as uniform a distance above the ground as possible so aste maintain the depth regulation of the plows so far as possible in passing over uneven ground, and on the other hand, to facilitate the movement of the plow closely in the tracks of the tractor.

All of the various features of invention` r bodying my improvements in their preferred form. v

Fig. 2 is a detailed transverse sectional view showing the manner of coupling the front ground wheels to the main frame.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a portion of the steering gear,

Fig. 4 is ,a side elevation of the main.

Referring in detail to the construction illustrated, 1 designates the rear part of the frame of a traction engine,fand 2, 2 the drive wheels thereof. My improved plow is useful with any form of tractor, but in some respects, as will presently appear, is designed especially for use in connection with a steam tractor.

The main frame consists of an obliquely disposed beam 3, preferably in the form of an angle bar, and a number of bars 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, which are rigidly connected to the beam 3, and which converge or extend to# ward a central point in front of the beam where they are connected to each other or;

to a short horizontally disposed beam 9.

Additional brace bars 1() and 11 are also rigid frame well designed to sustain stresses l to which it is subjected in operation.

The main frame is supported from the ground by several wheels comprising a caster wheel 12, the spindle 13 of which is mounted in a bearing 14 secured to the frame bars 4 and 10 at a point in front of the beam 8. A second ground wheel 15 is disposed to the rear of the beam 8 and at the other side of the frame, being mounted upon a shaft or axle 16 which is supported at one end by a bracket 17` on ythe bar 6 and at its other end by a bracket 18 which is preferably carried by one of the plow coupling brackets as shown in Figure 4.

The wheels 12 and 15 serve to 'support the rear parts of the main frame; the front part of the frame is carried by a truck comprising an axle 19 and wheels 2O, 20. This truck is `connected to the main frame at the front end of the beam 9 by means of a king bolt 21. The preferred form of the construction is indicated in Figure 2. The

frame bars 1l and 6 are extended somewhat beyond the front end of the beam 9 and to the extended ends of these bars are secured the U-shaped plates 22 and 23, these plates being perforated to receive the king bolt. The axle 19 has on its upper side an arched plate 24 upon which the stem-like part of the `frame rests. The construction is such as to permit a limited rocking movement betweenthe truck axle andthe frame. 25 is a brace bar extending from the rear part of the beam 9 downward to the lower end of the king bolt 21. i

The frame is connected to the tractor by means of crossed chains 23, 27, the rear ends of which are secured to the axleV 19, and the Yfront ends of which are secured to the frame 1 Vof the tractor. By adjusting the lengths of these crossed chains in relation to each Y other, the pcsition'of the plow frame in relation to the longitudinal axis ofthe tractor can beY variedVV as desired within certain limits. It is desirable in many cases to adjust the chains so that the: center line of the plow frame will take a position to the right of the axis of the center line of the engine, and thus keep the right driving wheel of the engine far enough from the furrow so that it will not break the furrow down and cause slippage of the wheels.

With a chain coupling it is not possible,

of course, to back the'plow yby means oftheV engine. To make this possible and still re- 'tain the advantages of the chain, 1 provide in vaddition thereto a backing strut or pole which consists of a front tubular part 28 which is pivoted at 29 to the engine frame,

" and a rear part 30 which telescopes within 'the part 28 and is secured Vat its rear end to the king bolt 21.l With this ,construction7 it will be seen that the action of the chains is not interfered with while they are under tension and, at thersame time, the parts 28 and 30 Vwhen closed together somewhat constitute a strut or pole by means of which vthe plow frame can readily be backed by backing the engine. Y

In backing themachine, it is desirable to be able to steer it 'andfor this purpose 1 provide suitable means for swinging' the axle 19. A .shaft 31 is rotatably mounted in bearing brackets depending from the main frame.

To the right end of this shaft is secured a sleeve 32, and to the left of this sleeve is rotatably mounted a second sleeve 33. A bevel pinion 34 is secured to the sleeve and a bevel pinion 35 is secured to the left end of the shaft 31. V36 is an upright steering post having a suitable hand wheel 37Y at its upper end, and at its lower end a bevel pinion or gear 38 which meshes with the pinions 34 and 35.' A chain 39 has its rear end secured to the sleeve 32 and its front end to the axle 19, and a similar chain 40 hasits rear end secured to the sleeve 33 and its y'front end to the axle. It will beseen that when the hand the obliquely disposed beam 3. r1`he machine.

as shown is designed with ten individual plows. Each of the individual plows comprises a beam part formed by two parallel bars 41 41 which at their Arear ends arek spaced far enough apart to receive the upper end of the plow shank or standard 42, said standard being clamped in position by bolts 43, 44.v A plow body 45 of any suitable form is mounted upon the standard.

The beam bar 41 at its forward end is bent laterally as shown in the plan views so that its front end 41%l is spaced from the front end of the bar 41 further than the rear ends of vsaid bars are spaced from each other. rlhis is done to give the plow beam a laterally extended pivotal connection with the main frame. Such connection is provided by mounting on the beam 3 of the frame a series of rearwardly extending bracket arms 46, which are spaced uniformly from each other as indicated in Figure 1. Each ofV these bracket arms is formed at its front end with a transverse bearing aperture 46L 'and at its rear end is slotted to receive an adjustable bearing block 47. T he length of the bracket arms 46 is such that thevbearing aperture in the block 47 of one arm is disposed directly opposite the bearing aperture 46a of the next adjacent arm onthe left. In these adjacent and to this pin are pivotally connected the front ends of the beam-bars 41, 41,

The standard of each plow is 'secured adjustably and yieldably to its beam. But as this feature of my improved plow forms the subject matter of another application, Serial No. 670,228, filed onvthe 9th day of January,

'bearing apertures'is mounted a pivot pin V48 Y eifectthe lifting of the plow, The wheel is Y mounted upon the lower end of the upright standard 50 which is mounted slidablv between the beam bar 41 and a guide 51 secured thereto. is a lever pivotally mounted on a bearing bracket 53 of the plow beam, and 54 is a link connecting the frontend of this lever to the lower Aportion of the wheel standard 50. The rear end of the lever 52 carries a hand screw 55 which is arranged to contact with the upper side of one of the beam bars and thus serves to'limit the downward swing of the rear end of the lever 52 and consequently the upward movement of the ground wheel 49. By adjusting the screw 55, the plow can be gauged to cut at different depths..

To effect the lifting of the plows, the following devices are provided: In front of each plow is a bracket 56 mounted on the frame beam 3 and to this bracket is bolted a steam cylinder 57. In the cylinder is a piston 58 which is securedv to a piston rod 59 that extends through a suitable stuffing box `60 in the .front head of the cylinder.

The rear @nd of the piston rod is connectedy by means of'a link 6l to a chain 62 which in turn is secured atc63 to the lever 52. This lever is formed vwith a segment arm 52`x` the wheel standard 50, it follows that such swinging of the lever will cause a lifting ofr the plow beam on the standard 50. As the cylinder 57 is rigidly mounted on the engine frame, it is desirable that .the line of draft between the piston and the chain 62 should remain fixed so that the piston rod will not be subjected to binding stresses. To this end the guide 52@ is so shaped, account being taken of the bodily movement of thelever 52 as vwell as Aof its swinging movement, that the point ofdepartureof the chain 62 from said segment remains in the fixed line of draft v`coincident with the axis of the piston rod 59,. Y Y

Thelcylinder `of the right-hand plow of the series is supplied with steam through a pipe 64e andthis cylinder is connected at.

a point near its frontend withthe rear end of the next adjacent cylinder by means of a pipe 65. In a similar way the second cylinder is connected with the third. p hand cylinder 57 is also providedat its front end with an exhaust pipe 66. The arrangement of the various pipes and parts is such that when steam. is turned on `through the supply pipe 64I-it being `understood, that steam can be drawn from `the boiler of a traction engine-the piston `in the righthand cylinder is first moved forward to lift the right-hand plow and as this piston nears the end of its travel the piston in the next adjacent cylinder is similarly operated and so on through the series, the several plows being lifted in succession so that all are drawn from the ground practically on the same-transverse line. In a similar manner when the steam pressure is cut off and the supply pipe opened to exhaust the plows will be lowered one after the other, beginning with the right-hand plow, so that they The righti all take into the ground on the same transverse line. I do not deem it necessary toy here describe the various steam ports and connections bymeans of which this operation is secured, as these features of my invention are covered in my original application above referred to, of which the present is a division.

lVhen the plows are raised from they ground it will be understood that they are supported upon their ground wheels 49.k The plows can be. held in this elevated position by steam pressure but if they are to be held for any considerable length of time f they can be locked up by means of bails 67, one of which 1s pivotally mounted upon the rear end of each cylinder 57 m position to be swung downward to engage a flange or f collar 68 on the piston rod 59 iwhen the piston is moved to the front end of its cylinder.

The operation of my improved plow and the manner in which it is handled will-be readily understood from the foregoing description. In hauling the plow to the field the several individual plowsr are locked in their elevated positions in the vmanner described. of beginning the operator lowers the plows preferably by first admitting steam to the steam cylinders to relieve the tension on the locking bails`67 so that they can be lifted to inoperative position. Then on opening the steam cylinders to exhaust the plows are lowered in the manner previously described.

On arriving` at Lthe turni-ng point the plows are lifted by admitting steam and after hav- On entering the field at the pointr i ing been turned are again lowered by openf ing the exhaust.y l

If at any time it is desirable to back the plow, ythis can readily be done by simply backing the engine, the plow operator in the mean time being at the steering wheel 37 to control the front ground wheels 20. By swinging these wheels, the plow frame can readily be steered in the backing operation. Of the gang plows constructed orproposed heretofore, the only ones known to me which were capable of being backed by the tractor, were those in which the main frame was provided with devices for bodily lifting the in-. dividual plows off the ground. By pivoting the individual plows directly to a rigid frame structure, by supporting each individual plow upon a ground wheel and by providing a strut or pole between the engine and plow, Il have produceda machine having the advantages of simplicity, lightness and cheapness, which at the same time is capable of being backed by the tractor and handled in practically the same manner as the prior constructions referred to which were heavier, more cumbersome and more expensive to build.

It will be understood further that the telescoping form of backing pole which I emiro j backward against the trailing structure and to-be automatically thrown Yout of action when the draft device is operating, said draft device and back-pressure device both being adapted to permitlat'eral movement bodily of either the tractor or the trailing structure relatively toV the other.

2. T he combination with a tractor and a wheel-supported trailing structure adapted to be drawn by the tractor, of two sets of power transmitting devices, the devices of both sets being permanently connected t0 both the tractor and the trailing structure and adapted to permit lateral movement bodily of either of said structures relatively to the other, the devices of the first set being arranged to transmit draft tension to the trailing structure for advancing` it, and

the devices of the second set being arranged to transmit bach-pressure to the -trailing in action.

structure and to be automatically rendered inactive when the devices of the` first set are 3. rlllie combination with a tractor, and a trailing wheel mipported frame of twodraft kdevices, one adapted to transmit draft Vto said frame when the tractoris advancing on a path angulated in one direction, and the other adapted to transmit draft to said frame when the tractoris advancing on a path angulated in the opposite direction, and a back pressure de Yice adapted to transmit pressureto said frame and to be automatically rendered inactivewhen either of said Ldraft devices is in operation. e

ll. The' combination with a tractor, and a trailing wheel supported frame, of a back pressure device permanently connected to the tractor .and to said frame, and adapted, at option, to transmit back pressure from the tractor and a draft device permanently connected to the tractor and to said frame for transmitting draft and adapted to become automatically inoperative Vwhen Vthe back pressure device is in action.

5. The combination with a tractor, and `a trailing wheel supported frame, of two sets of power transmitting devices both permanently connected to said frame and to the tractor, those of one set being adapted to transmit draft tension to said frame, and those of the other being adapted to transmit back pressure thereto, and the devices of each set being arranged to be entirely inactive whenthose of the other are in operation.

6. The combination with a tractor, and a wheeled structure adapted to be drawn bythe tractor,y of a` set of draft devices interposed between tlie engine and the drawnj *I structure, a second set of devices interposed betweenthe engine and the drawn Vstrncture for transmitting back-pressure from the tractor to the drawn structure, and Vmanually operable means adapted to cause` the drawn structure to move bodily later.- ally relatively to the tractor when either, the said draft devices or the saidbaclring devices are active.

T he combination of'a'tractor, a trailing structure adapted to be diawn by the trac tor, itwo crossed draft chains each independently connected to vboth the tractor andthe ti'ailerand arranged `to exert draft on the trailing structure when it is at a predetermined distance bodily from the tractor and to be inactive when the trailing structure is at a less distance, and back-.pressure devices flexibly connected to the tractor and to the trailing sti'ucture'and arranged to be ac- Y tive when the tractor moves relatively baclry Y ward Abodily to points at .said shorter dis- 95 tance from the y trailing structure.

8. The coinbinationkof a tractor, a Vtraily ing structure adapted to bel drawn byY theV e tractor, the manual Asteering devices adapted. to cause the trailing structuie to 'move in 190 either direction laterally, the draftdevices connected directly to said steeringdevices and also connectedzto thetractor, and backpressure devices adapted to permit the tractor to move. bodily longitudinally away 105 from the trailing structure and also to move bodily laterally relatively thereto.

9. The combinationv of a tractor, a trailing structure adaptedto be drawn by the tractor, the manual steering devices for ,the 110 trailing structure adapted to cause it to travel laterally in either direction relatively to the tractor, draft devices connecting the tracto-r to the trailing structure, back-pressure' device connected at its ends to the trac- 115 Y ture, in presence of two witnesses.

v JOHN B. BARTHOLOh/EVJ.

R. M. ODELL. 

